On October 17, 2016, Harford, P.C., filed a lawsuit against the New York City Housing Authority on behalf of a 53 year-old male resident of the Bronx. The case was filed in the New York Supreme Court for Bronx County.
The complaint alleges exposure to Legionella bacteria at the Melrose public housing facility located in the southwestern section of the Bronx. The plaintiff suffered cardiac arrest, kidney failure requiring dialysis, colonic distension, and a host of other conditions requiring a more than two month hospitalization.
During the plaintiff’s hospitalization, on September 2, 2015, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released a statement that the water distribution system at a building at 681 Courtlandt Avenue, located within the Melrose public housing facility, tested positive for the presence of Legionella pnueumophila bacteria. Tests conducted later that month revealed other buildings within the complex to also be infected with Legionella bacteria.
The lawsuit comes on the heels of another group of lawsuits recently filed in the Bronx alleging personal injuries from exposure to Legionella bacteria. On October 8, 2016, the New York Daily News reported that six new cases were filed in recent weeks concerning the 2015 outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx.
More than 14 Bronx sites tested positive for the Legionella bacteria outbreak, including the water tower located atop of the Opera House Hotel.
If you or someone you know has been injured by exposure to Legionella bacteria, we are here to help you. Please call us today for a free consultation at (212) 390-8983.
